Jackie Robinson - A Game Apart

Black History Month

Revisited

This is a story that appeared in ToughTimes Newspaper last year in conjunction with Black History Month.  It is worthwhile in republishing this onto Brampton Bits & Bites as the story is relevant to today's society, plus there is a very important Canadian connection with the story of Jackie Robinson, thanks in part to the City of Montreal and the Montreal Royals back in 1946, the farm team for The Brooklyn Dodgers.

Mike Wiley performed at The Rose Theatre a year ago to several local students in celebration of Black History Month.

Please read the story.

Jackie Robinson: 

A Game Apart 

By Bret Sheppard 

For: ToughTimes Newspaper & MLB.com 

Date: February 10, 2016          Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am 

Place: Rose Theatre Brampton 

Arts Adventures – A professional entertainment education series  that transforms the stage into a classroom. 

Theme: Black History Month 

Show: Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart   written & performed by Mike Wiley 

1(Historical Fact ) 

Jackie Robinson made history in 1947, by breaking the colour barrier in Major League Baseball by being the first Black player to play in the Majors playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers (now Los Angeles Dodgers). And there is a major and monumental Canadian connection with this historic moment. The Brooklyn Dodgers who signed Jackie, assigned him to play the 1946 season with their AAA affiliate Montreal Royals. The thinking was that living and playing baseball in Montreal, the Montreal citizens would be more tolerant of a black player playing on the Royals as opposed to playing south of the border where Jackie would endure an endless stream of ridicule, scorn, and prejudice. Making the transition from the minors to the Dodgers that much more difficult. 

The baseball fans in Montreal embraced Jackie throughout the 1949 season and after the final game where the Royals clinched the pennant Jackie Robinson was being chased down a street to get his autograph, and one particular writer from a Montreal Newspaper quoted a saying that this was the first time he had seen a black man being chased down a street with love in their hearts as oppose to hate or lynching. 

Jackie Robinson to this date is still held in high esteem in the city of Montreal 

, he is up there with the Maurice Richards, Jean Beliveau's, Gary Carter. Jackie was introduced at a Montreal Expo game at Jarry Park back in 1972, shortly before he died. The ovation he received was in the category of a Richard and Lafleur. That was the impact that Jackie left on the city of Montreal and for only playing one year. 

On February 10th, The Rose Theatre's contribution to Black History month was a performance called, Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart. Written and performed by a one man show, Mike Wiley to several students from the Peel Public and Private schools. The Brampton students jammed the Rose Theatre for two shows, one at 10:00 am  and the other at 12:30 shortly after lunch and were treated to an extremely entertaining performance conducted by Mike Wiley. 

Mike  showcased through his one man act, as he was not only playing Jackie Robinson, but also the struggles of not just blacks but also any other minority in American society, not just back then but also at the present day. 

Mike made the entire hour production move, and while having the students laughing, and all joking aside, he also touched a nerve at the same time, as he engaged the students to participate by bringing them up on stage. Later on while conducting Questions & Answers Mike asked, "why did I bring students up on stage?" One student did respond by saying, " That is was to experience what it felt like to be black during the days of Jackie Robinson." The one point that seemed to touch that nerve is when Mike as Jackie Robinson was describing his military service and being Court Marshalled because he sat is the White section of the bus. Black players  (colored) not allowed to stay in hotels in South Bend Indiana or many other places in the United States. 

It is amazing how time can creep up and how we describe things. During the Q & A session, one boy innocently queried "What is a Negro." Some students snickered, but Mike Wiley said that was a very good question, as today black people are described as African American, or black, as oppose to several years ago where a black person was called colored or better known as Negro. 

Mike Wiley did a wonderful performance for the grade 5 – 8 students, not only kept them entertained and interactive with the performance, but also gave the students something to think about and to be educated on the perils of segregation and prejudice in society not just years ago but in today's society as well. 

A history on Jackie Robinson a Canadian Connection is above. 

Bret Sheppard 

  

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